Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Vegetable growers tell Michigan House panel rising H‑2A costs, water rules and land loss threaten farms
Summary
Growers told the Michigan House Agriculture Committee that rising H‑2A wages, competition from lower‑cost imports, pressure on muck soils and regulatory complexity are shrinking acreage and squeezing margins; the Michigan Vegetable Council asked lawmakers to back research and a climate‑resiliency grant program.
Greg Bird, a presenter for the Michigan Vegetable Council, told the Michigan House Agriculture Committee that the state’s vegetable industry faces mounting costs and operational pressures and asked lawmakers to support research and climate resiliency funding.
The Michigan Vegetable Council represents vegetable growers and processors statewide and is seeking state support for research and resilience programs, Bird said. “Climate resiliency is currently two years old, asking for $2,000,000 recurring funds and $8,000,000 for [a] grant program in the 2026 state budget,” Bird said. He also described the council’s work with Michigan State University and federal crop‑block grants administered through MDARD.
The Council’s request comes amid testimony from two family farmers who described day‑to‑day threats to production. Kent Carnamot, managing partner at Carnamot Farms in Fremont, summarized the…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
